When a group of South African orphans and
musicians were left stranded in New Zealand
after a performing programme went wrong,
three local event enthusiasts put together
an event called ‘Buskaid.’
With the support of local businesses, the
tourism industry, and the young people from
our schools, the ‘Buskaid’ event,
a wearable arts style fashion show complete
with stunning performances by the music
troupe, was embraced by a full house. Out
of the darkness came light … and a
whole lot of colour as the whole New Zealand
experience was turned into something positive
for this special group of young people.
So that got them thinking…
If they could pull off something like this
for young people from half a world away,
surely they can do something just as spectacular
for our own young people, and so the Rotorua
Wearable Creations ‘n Colour Awards
was began in 2003.
Organised by the Rotorua Creative Art Trust,
the event has become a vehicle to showcase
the talent of many of the young people in
our community. It helps them improve self-esteem
and build confidence.
Empowering young people
…
Seeing our young people reach their full
potential brings its own rewards. From the
time they decide to take the plunge and
use their creative abilities in putting
their entry together, to the end result.
Whether they’re part of the creation
and construction team, or whether they go
all the way and model it themselves, it’s
their personal growth we all love to see.
While many young people were keen to create
and construct their wearable art, many thought
they would not be able to get up on that
stage and have their peers watch them strut
their stuff.
Making a difference in
their world …
“We remember one girl in particular,
we couldn’t even make eye contact
with her when we first visited her at school
– yet her ideas were fantastic. She
just needed support to get the creation
to a point that she could continue on her
own and WOW what an achievement! The next
year she didn’t need our support –
we are so proud of her achievements. And
best of all, she now looks us in the eye
with confidence.”
“Upon visiting another school, we
found groups of girls working together to
create an entry. Their team building was
awesome! At the end of that year, we were
invited to attend the school’s end
of year function because we were told that
entering the Awards had had a positive effect
on this group. They were turning up to school
on a regular basis, whereas prior they had
been missing several days in a week. The
fact that taking part in the Awards had
given inspiration to groups was thrilling
for us. As we listened to each achiever
speak, every one of them mentioned how entering
the Rotorua Wearable Creations ‘n
Colour Awards was one of their major achievements
of the year.”
